Centrifugal speed responsive device



Aug 12, 1952 H. L. BONE CENTRIEUGAL SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE 2 SHEETS--SHEET l Filed" Nov. 27, 1945 I N VE N TOR j%Pb@P I. 50129. BY n.14/

HIS A TTORN E Y Aug'. 12, 1952 H L BONE CENTRIFUGAI.. SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1945 IN VEN TOR ffenep l. 50129.

H15' A TTORNE Y Patented Aug. l2, 1952 Heftel-tj Bone, v Fore-st "-Hiusjfraj; ssiger 'to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, a. corpora- Application November 27, 1s45-seria1 No. 631,161

- s claims. (Creu- 15) I speed' responsivedevice which-can be mounted.

adjacentl to and'driven from'th end of an axle ofthepony'` truck of a locomotive. f

. Another object of my invention is to Yprovide in 'aspeed responsivev device a pivotal mounting y forithe centrifugem'embersofthe device whereby v"thecritical clearancebetw'een the centrifuge membersand the cooperating push rod 'ofthe device 'may be accurately and easily adjusted According to 'one'. form` of my yinventionthe device comprises a main housing which is adapted 4to b'e boltedto theouter endof a wheel or an axlef-of the pony truck of la steam locomotive in'` axial alignment therewith in such" mannerthat the' housing :will/rotate with the4 axle.

pivot pinswhich extend at'r'i'ght anglesl to, and are equally spaced from',th`e longitudinal axis of .the housing aretwo similar centrifuge members. These centrifuge members are each formed with a weight armextending vparallel to theraxis of the`housing', and with an operating arm extending' radially toward the-axis of the housing, andare each provided at'the inner 'end of the operating arm with' a gear toothwhich extends into and cooperateswith a vrecessformed in a push rod. -The push'l isH guided by means of suitable "guide bearings for longitudinal sliding movement within the housing, and is biasedy by means of a compressedcoil Vspring tof-the longitudinal position in which the weight arms of the centrifuge members occupy their inner" extreme positions', wherebywhenfthe axle is rotating the .resultant centrifugal vforcewill tend to `4move the pushI rod `from onev extreme `position to another. In order tol provide the proper clearances. to reduce wear toxa minimum in thetoothed connection-:between the .centrifuge members` andy A'the push rod, the pins which support the centrifuge members are mountedat 4their Vends in leccentric bushings so arranged fthat"by1rotating 4these bushings :the clearances zin tithe toothedbonnections ncan be Areadily -increased 'or' decreased;

5 -`Other obj ects and' characteristic l features "of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds. will I shall ydescribe one form ofspeedl responsive devicestembodying my invention,v and shall then point out the novelfeatures'` `thereof-"in claimsi In the accompanying drawings, Fig.- 1 isia' vertical longitudinal sectional viewl showing one f'rinoffspeedy responsive device embodying my invention-HAH ,y Y Figsf? 4'and 3 are detail views of a` bushing forming partei t'lie speed responsive devieillustrated. f"`l5igs`.` (and 5 -are detail sectional views takenfsubstantially on the, lines I V-,IV and V4V,respectively;fffFigf-1.

Similanreference'characters refer to similar partsV in eachof the'severalviews. w

'Pivotally supported inside ofl the housing on f Referring tothe drawings;the speed responsive device in therormheresho-wn comprises a main housing I and anauxiliaryfhousing 2; The main housing' I is closed at one' end by fanend plate 3 secured in 'place b'y machine screws 4, and -is adapted to be mounted on` theend of-a car or locomotive axlefsuch as a Ap ony truck axle v5 by means off'a plurality of bolts 6 which pass through clearance holes in the housing and are screwed'into threaded holes 1 formed in' the pony'vvheell 8 mounted on the axle. It will be apparent, thereforathat when the-wheel 8 and axle 5l rotate, the housing I will rotate therewith.' For reasons `which will be obvious, it is desirable togmangtain thehousing 'I in concentric relation to the axle 5, and to this end the end plate 3 is provided with an annular projection or rib 9 concentric with the housing, which rib extends'into and cooperates with a concentric recess IIJ machined in ythe end of the axle.u

A pair of ball bearingsl I 'a and IIhare fitted within-counterbores I2a andV I2b`formed in a bearing opening I2 provided in the outer end of the mainhousng--I, and the inner'racesuof these bearingssnugly receive a tubular extension I 3 formed on the auxiliary housing 2. The

y bearings vIIa and III] are spaced apart -in the bearing opening I2 by means of `shoulders I2C and I2bformedgattheinner ends of the counterbores, and on the vtubular extension I3 by a spacing sleeve I4 having-thesame length as the distance between the shoulders vvI2c rand I2d. The outer race of the bearing I'Ib -is secured in placev inthe" counterbore I2b by la bearing re'- tainer I5 A(see Fig. 5)y boltedlto the-mainhousing I; Theinner races ofthe bearings are securedV to the tubular lextension I3 by va nut I6 screwed onto'th'e threadedv inner end rof the tubular extension' I3. The nutfISis' locked 'in place by a lock washer I1. The spacebetween the bearings is-'packed with al suitable lubricant; and a' 'felt oil'fs'eal I8 is provided to protect the outsidev bearing fI Ia; from` dirt andA moisture;v A 'A cable connection (not snown' ""which extends from the housing 2 to the locomotive frame,

sembly, While the auxiliary housing 2 houses `a.

contact assembly, the contacts of which are' operated by the centrifuge in response to'changes in the speed of rotation of the axle 5.

The centrifuge assembly in the form here shown comprises two centrifuge -'members 20' and.,

2| pivotally supported on 'pivotpins'ZZ and'23 which extend at right angles to, and are equally spaced from, the longitudinall axis of the housing I. The centrifuge members are each formed with a curved weight arm which extends parallel to the axis of the housing I, and with an operating arm which extends radially toward the axis of the housing. The operating arms are provided at their inner ends `with gear teeth a and 2la, respectively,v which gearv teeth exv tend into and cooperate with tooth openings 24a formed in a rectangular portion 24D of a push rod 24. The push rod'24 is slidably supported at one end in-a bearing bushing 25 mounted in the end plate 3, and at the other end in a bearing bushing 25 mounted in the end of a tubular push -rod guide 2T bolted to the end plate 3 by means of studs 28 (see Fig. 4). A compressed coil fspring 29 surrounds the push rod between a shoulder 21a,l formed in the guide 21 intermediate its ends and an annular flange 24o provided von the push rod, and constantly biases the push rod tothe longitudinal position in which the rectangular portion* of vthe push rod abuts 'against the flanged end of the bearing bushing 25. The partsY areso proportioned that when the push rod occupies the position to which it is biased, the weight armsjof the centrifuge members 20 and 2l will be rotated to their inner extreme positions, and it will be apparent, therefore, that when the centrifuge assembly is ro- 24e with a stop'surface 2lb provided on the -push rod guide 21. Y

In order to prevent excessive wear in the The extreme left-hand positoothed connection between the centrifuge memy bers and the push rod it is essential to be able to reduce clearances between the gear teeth and the associated tooth openings to a minimum and to this end the pivot pins which support the centrifuge members are supported at their ends in eccentricflanged bushings 3i)y (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4) rotatably mounted in bushing openings 3| provided in spaced laterally extending lugs 32 formed on the end plate 3'. The flanged bushings are adapted to be secured in adjusted positions by means of screws 33=which pass through clearance holes in the flangesV and are screwed into tapped holes inthelug's 32, and in order to facilitate adjustingthe bushings to the desired angular positions relative to the lugs each bushing is provided with twelve holes spacedV 30 apart (see Fig. 2), while each lug is provided with two pairs of tapped. holes the holes of each pair of which are spaced apart.l With lthe holes arranged in this manner it Will be obvious that by inserting the screws through the proper holes the bushings may be readily rotated to a variety of angular positions spaced 15 apart. It will also be apparent that since the bushings are eccentric, rotation of the bushings will cause the operating arms to move toward or away from .the pushy rods an amount equal tothe eccentricity of the bushings whicheccentricity is sufcient to take care of any normal amount of adjustment that may be necessary to prevent wear between the gear teeth and the tooth openings.

" Since the centrifuge assembly rotates about a horizontal axis, thev gravitational force acting on the-v` centrifuge members is reversed with respect -tf theA centrifugal force acting thereon twice during each `revolution of the assembly. At slow 4speeds; when the gravitational force is greater than the centrifugal force, this reversal of the gravitational force will cause the centrifuge memberstofreciprocat'e radially as theassembly revolves, if there is any clearance between 4the fgear teeth 20a and 2Ia and the tooth openings 24111. Y'The adjustable bushings 30 provide a means forreducing the gear tooth clearance to a point where this reciprocating action and the resulting wear are substantially eliminated.

The pivot pins 22 and v23 are held inV place in the bushings by means of end plates 35 clamped "in place by means of the sameY screws which secure the bushings tothe lugs. The end play of the centrifuge members is controlled by shims 3S inserted betweenl the ilanges of the bushings and the associated lugs.A These shims are of the 'laminated type and are peeled to the proper thickness to provide the desired end play.

The left-hand end of the push rod 24 is prolvided with an antifriction thrust assemblycom- `prising bearing cup 40 screwed onto thethreaded ceives the rounded end 44a lof a U-shaped thrust 'member 44 the arms 44b"of vwhich straddle with `some clearance 'a tappet guide 45 secured by means of screws V4,6 to theA inner side of the right-hand wall of the auxiliary housing 2 as ,viewed in Fig. l. Theyokef'of the U-shaped thrust member-bears against one end of a tappet 4l the outer end of which is slidably mounted in a sleeve 48 pressed 4into the tappet guide 45. The free'end of the'tappet 4'! engages a hardened steel bar '49 secured to an insulating member 50 which latter in turn is riveted to a plurality of movable contact lingers 5l, 52, 53 and 54, respectively.v The movable contact ng'ers are adapted to cooperate with fixed contact fingers .(not shown) securedwithin the auxiliaryhousing 2, the movable and fixed contacts within the auxiliary housing forming a circuit controller as fully described and claimed in my vaforesaid divisional application led on March '7, 1951, for Speed Responsive Devices.

In orderv to permit-readly inspection of the contacts` and adjustment` when necessary, the outer end of the auxiliary housing 2 is closed by a removable coverl 53. y

The operation of the governor as a whole :will

be readily` understood from an inspection `of the'I Having thus described my invention, what Ik claim is:

l. In a speed responsive device comprising a. member which is adapted to be rotated at different speeds, a push rod supported for longitudinal sliding movement between two extreme positions at the axis of rotation of said inember, spring means biasing said push rod to one extreme position, centrifuge members carried by said first mentioned member and operatively connected with said first mentioned member by toothed connections for moving said push rod to another longitudinal position in response to rotation of said first mentioned member, the

combination of adjustable means for pivotally attaching said centrifuge members to said first mentioned member, said means comprising pivot pins mounted at their ends in eccentric bushings rotatably mounted in spaced legs provided on said rotatable member, whereby by rotating said bushings the clearances in said toothed connection can be readily varied, and means for clamping said eccentric bushings in adjusted positions.

2. In a speed reponsive device comprising a member which is adapted to be rotated at different speeds, a push rod supported for longitudinal sliding movement between two extreme positions at the axis of rotation of said member, spring means biasing said push rod to one I extreme position, two centrifuge members pivotally suported on pivot pins which extend at right angles to and are equally spaced from the axis of said first mentioned member, each said centrifuge member comprising a weight arm extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said first mentioned member and an operating arm extending radially toward said push rod, each said operating arm being provided with a tooth which extends into a recess provided in said push rod, whereby movement of said centrifuge members due to rotation of said first mentioned member will move said push rod in opposition to its bias, the combination of mounting means for said pins comprising spaced lugs secured to said first member, eccentric bushings rotatably mounted in said lugs and receiving the ends of said pins, flanges on said bushings provided with a plurality of spaced holes, screw threaded holes in VVsaid lugs spaced apart different distances from the holes in said flanges, and screws extending through selected ones of the holes in said flanges and screwed into selected ones of said screw threaded holes.

3. In a speed responsive device comprising a 6 member which is adapted to be rotated at different speeds, a push rod supported for longitudinal sliding movement between two extreme positions at the axis of rotation of said member, spring means biasing said push rod to one ex treme position, two centrifuge members pivotaliy supported on pivot pins which extend at right angles to and are equally spaced from the axis of said first mentioned member, each said centrifuge member comprising a weight arm extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said first mentioned member and an operating arm extending radially toward said push rod, each said operating arm being provided with a tooth `which extends into a recess provided in said push rod, whereby movement of said centrifuge members due to rotation of said first mentioned member will move said push rod in opposition to its bias, the combination of mounting means for said pins comprising spaced lugs secured to said iirst member, eccentirc bushings rotatably mounted in said lugs and receiving the ends of said pins, flanges on said bushings provided with a purality of spaced holes, screw threaded holes in said lugs spaced apart different distances from the holes in said flanges, screws extending throuhg selected ones of the holes in said flanges and screwed into selected ones of said screw threaded holes, shims interposed between said iianges and said lugs, and end plates closing the ends of the openings in said bushings secured in place by said screws, said shims and end plates serving to position said centrifuge members longitudinally on said pins.

HERBERT L. BONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,035,074 Baker Aug. 6, 1912i 1,096,386 Norton May 12, 1914 1,371,767 Johnson Mar. 15, 1921 1,576,933 Romeyn Mar. 16, 1926 1,666,441 Craft et al Apr. 17, 1928 1,749,200 Van Valkenburg Mar. 4, 1930 1,938,488 Petersen Dec. 5, 1933 1,959,173 McNairy May 15, 1934 1,965,936 Crafts July 10, 1934 1,971,070 Heintzmann Aug. 21, 1934 2,141,772 `Stadler Dec. 27, 1938 2,282,366 Knight et al May 12, 1942 2,393,375 Hines Jan. 22, 1946 

